Organizations can use business application programs to handle customer contact or to coordinate information and activities needed to complete business processes such as order fulfillment or billing. An organization's staff may access such information at personal computer terminals. Some organizations are moving into new generation communication technologies, including Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and software based communication software (personal computer softphones).
Some user groups may not feel comfortable using personal computer (PC) softphones or may work in environments that are unsuitable for softphone use, but still require voice communication integration with business applications. For example, a user's PC may not have sufficient resources for softphone usage, a user's workstation may be a thin-client (e.g., Citrix) that does not support softphones, or a user may work in an environment where the data connection quality is not adequate for transmitting voice communications with a softphone. Further, organizations can require mobility for staff that need such integration. Additionally, changing to new generation communication technologies causes great disruption. For example, sometimes all users must change to the new communication technology or switch to a new communication device at the same time. Organizations often require a single type of communication device for integration, which may not suit all end users.